Letters to the Editor…

Dear Dan: While nobody wants to see anyone that is truly impacted by the virus put out on the streets, the entire burden for keeping the public housed cannot be forced upon the backs of individual citizens. Housing is an essential service.  Who else is forced to provide an essential service for free?  Nurses, grocery…

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The Art of Successful Leasing by Matt Williams

Whether you have a home, triplex or 150 units, we all have that one leasing story. For most of us it has worked out okay. One client took a risk with a foreign engineering student despite having no credit history and not being able to verify the international banking statements. This tenant turned out to…

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Legal Q & A by Richard Beckman

Question 1:  I own a single-family home in Oakland with tenants on a month-to-month basis. The tenant has been there more than a year. Can I still legally raise the rent? Answer 1:  While nearly every aspect of residential tenancy life is currently being changed by legislative responses to the COVID 19-related states of emergency,…

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Where to Invest by Terry Moore, CCIM

“San Diego apartment buildings are outrageously expensive! The cash flow is wretched. What do you think about going to the 40 other states with dramatically higher cash flow and lower prices?” The experienced landlady was asking me whether her son should use his $80,000 and buy a fourplex in Arizona or somewhere else where the…

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How to Handle Rental Maintenance During COVID-19 and Nearly 25 Percent of Americans Couldn’t Pay Their April Housing Bill by Editors of the Rental Housing Journal

A new survey indicates that one in four Americans were not able to pay their April housing bill in full, according to Apartment List. The survey showed half of those respondents were able to make a partial payment to their lender or landlord, while the other half made no payment at all. And one in…

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Legal Q& A by Dennis Block | EVICTION MORATORIUM UPDATE

On April 6, 2020, the California Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the California Courts, approved and adopted emergency rules regarding evictions. Although Governor Newsom and cities such as Los Angeles had previously enacted orders, these new rules supersede existing laws regarding the filing of unlawful detainer actions. Under the new California Rules of Court,…

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Criminal Background Checks by Lynn Dover, Esq.

As most of you are aware, in 2016, HUD released guidance for all housing providers regarding how the use of criminal background checks could potentially violate fair housing laws. The guidance outlines how using criminal background screening to deny housing can create a disparate impact (discriminatory effect) based on race due to the higher incarceration…

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